EXCLUSIVE Interview: FridayFictionFilms CEO Tanmay Shah On BIG Challenges In 52 Films Project

At a time when entertainment and commerce are increasingly driven by social and emotional narratives, Tanmay Shah, founder of a film production company, is catering to the requirements of brands and audiences in style. A tough job, his company makes brands embrace social causes and topics and weaves them into their advertising campaigns, TVCs, and brand and corporate films.

Tanmay's Friday Fiction Films uses short commercial films, TVCs and documentaries to drive the 'Social-Purpose-Driven' film-making for entertainment and for brands. Here are excerpts from an exclusive conversation with the ace producer.

1. Can you provide an overview of what the 52 Films Project entails and what motivated FridayFictionFilms to create those?

A: 52FilmsProject is the outcome of my keen interest in working towards social causes and developing solutions for the masses. I left my job as a research associate at IIT-Bombay to make films at the spur of the moment. When films happened to me, I started making films on social issues. With this forefront and an innate need to talk about social issues, I explored the medium of films for a year and decided to make one short film every week for a year as a part of the 52FilmsProject.
With the 52FilmsProject, I wanted to highlight the social issues that are otherwise neglected and showcase them on a platform like YouTube so that we could reach out to a larger audience. This project caters to various pressing social issues like child abuse, food waste, noise and light pollution, parenting, language manipulation, and global terrorism. It was shot in Ahmedabad, a city of heritage with more than 30 locations and more than 170 volunteers.

2. What challenges did you encounter throughout the 52-week journey, and how did you overcome them?

A: The 52FilmProject was a zero-budget filmmaking project where we cast ordinary people, shot in public locations, and produced one short film every week. This setup brought multiple challenges in terms of locations, people, story and the uploading of the film every Friday for a year. As we were dealing with forces that were out of our control, all we did was try our best to persuade them. Convincing people was the biggest task. Convincing them to work with us and to act. Not only that but while shooting in a public space, convincing people to give us the space without creating any ruckus. Convincing them to work on the narrative that we have presented for the short film. People didn't always come on board with us, but we approached everyone with the determination to convince them. Other challenges emerged with external factors such as delays in shooting in monsoon season, local goons' interference while shooting in public places, shooting on a street with a crowd of 200 anticipating some movie star's presence, and an internet connection blocked in 2015 due to a strike.

3. How did the concept and themes of your films evolve over the course of the project?

A: The project prioritized storytelling as the central element of each film. Initially, the films addressed social issues that are often overlooked amidst the chaos of daily life, becoming normalized as a routine part of existence. However, as the project evolved, a shift towards more global themes occurred, with films adopting simplified plots to enhance their relatability to a wider audience spanning across different countries.This transition manifested in films that tackled broader issues such as crime rates in India concerning foreigners and terrorism, alongside depictions of lesbian weddings. These narratives resonated with audiences worldwide and garnered attention on various online platforms in the UK, USA, and beyond. The project's inclusive approach facilitated its transformation into a global endeavor with local roots. By addressing local stories and issues within a broader global context, the project succeeded in fostering connections between local and global concerns.

4. With such a tight schedule, how did your team manage time effectively and ensure each film met the required standards?

A: Creating a film each week for an entire year presents numerous challenges. Firstly, as it was a volunteer endeavour, the team composition varied weekly throughout the year. This constant rotation made the endeavour even more daunting, as roles and responsibilities shifted drastically based on volunteer availability. Secondly, working within the constraints of zero-budget filmmaking meant that everything, from casting to securing locations, had to be arranged spontaneously. Additionally, I often found myself working with individuals lacking prior acting experience, adding another layer of complexity to the process. This whirlwind of situational challenges brought an element of abstraction to the filmmaking process each week. It often entailed conceptualising a script on Saturday, organising production logistics on Sunday and Monday, shooting on Tuesday and Wednesday, and editing on Thursday for a Friday release. Most films were shot on either Thursday or Friday and released on Friday night. The 52FilmsProject featured a different lead cast for each film, ensuring that each production stood on its own merits in terms of casting, setting, and emotional resonance. This approach allowed for experimentation with filmmaking techniques that effectively addressed the social issues at hand. With only one camera and a tripod at our disposal, meticulous planning was essential to ensure we maintained the requisite quality standards for each film.

5. Were there any particular films within the project that stood out to you in terms of challenges faced, innovative solutions, or personal significance?

A: The 52nd film of the 52FilmsProject, titled "Ta'alluq," served as a profound introspective journey for both the actors and the crew involved. The initial hesitation of parents to involve their child in a film containing the word 'bomb' underscored the sensitivity surrounding the project. However, upon a thorough examination of the script and understanding the underlying message of the film, they eventually consented to participate.

"Ta'alluq" delved into the contemporary challenges faced by parents in the realm of modern-day parenting. The narrative centred around the pervasive influence of news channels on children, highlighting a scenario where exposure to alarming news led a child to innocently write 'B' for 'bomb' during an exam. This thought-provoking film underscored the profound impact that media exposure can have on children's perception and behaviour. The inspiration for this film stemmed from a real-life incident where parents, initially proud of their efforts to expose their child to the realities of the world, were confronted with the unsettling reality of their child's casual use of inappropriate language. This alarming revelation served as the cornerstone of the film's narrative. Throughout the production process, meticulous care was taken to shield the child actor from exposure to the sensitive themes explored in the film. It was deemed imperative to safeguard the innocence of the child and prevent any inadvertent exposure to content not unsuitable for their age.

6. How did you engage with your audience throughout the project, and what role did their feedback play in shaping your subsequent films?

A: - The audience was a very organic one through the process, the 400 odd people who had participated over time in the project, along with their own immediate circle became sort of the initial audience - with their inputs, doubts and challenges they faced with comprehending and contributing in those films . That ranged from certain friends coming in and helping with finding the right talents to offering certain spaces and tools to enhance the film in some way. From certain films getting picked up by the police to locally propagate social messages to people volunteering in the production processes to learn a little about filmmaking in a non conventional fashion.
After the films were available online, that opened gates to many new and distinct opinions and conversations towards their perception of the 52 films project.

7. Finally, what's next for FridayFictionFilms after completing the 52 Films Project, and how do you envision building upon this experience in future endeavors?

A: The future projects will always have the sensibilities carried within the 52 films project, such as the social messaging and capturing the rawness of the narrative in each story. However the nature of the project could be a melange of the previous format and certain vernacular elements, depending on when that could go on the floor in the near future.